That’s not the kind of thing you want to hear, especially not with the flooding going on. But, reportedly, Grand Gulf Nuclear Plant workers in Mississippi “accidentally released water from an abandoned unit into the river.” A large amount of tritum, a cancer-causing radionuclide, was in the water according to sensors.
Mississippi River Gets Radioactive Water Dumped into It from Nuclear Plant Read More 👉
Can you imagine wanting a drink of water or wanting to wash your dishes or clothes, but not having the water to do it? One in six people worldwide lack access to clean water, what if that one was you?
How Far Would You Walk For Clean Water? [Video] Read More 👉
I received this in an email from a friend recently. Great & worth a read.
American Indian, Chief Seattle, wrote to President Franklin Pierce in 1854…
Chief Seattle Writing to President Franklin Pierce in 1854 Read More 👉
The Tibetan Spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has said that he is concerned over the melting of glaciers in the Tibetan plateau as they seem tp be melting at an alarming rate.
Tibetan Glaciers Melting at Alarming Rate, Over a Billion People at Risk Says Dalai Lama Read More 👉
Over 250 NGOs from 51 countries have called on the governments of Laos and Thailand to halt building the Xayaburi mega dam on the River Mekong in Northern Laos.
They claim the environmental impact assessment report into the project has been poorly prepared and fails to take into account the environmental and social impact of choking the water supply to ecosystems and populations downstream.
NGOs Call For Mega Dam To Be Halted Read More 👉
Today is World Water Day. We’ve written quite a number of water-related posts on Planetsave over the years, and other sites on the Important Media network have as well. For this year’s World Water Day, I’ve decided to share a number of our good water posts altogether, rather than write yet another article on one or two aspects of this important topic.
World Water Day (60 Good Water Posts) Read More 👉
Justin Bieber recently turned his 17th birthday (March 1) into a fundraiser, by putting a call out to his fans asking for donations to charity: water, an organization that provides clean drinking water to developing nations. Justin’s fundraising goal was $17,000, but with the help of young fans everywhere, they were able to raise over $45,000
Justin Bieber Helps Developing Nations with Clean Drinking Water on His Birthday Read More 👉
Imagine a huge, blue body of water, white sandy beaches, waves crashing onshore and kids playing in the sand. You might be tempted to think of an ocean scene, but I’m talking about a typical July day on any of the Great Lakes. Sans the salty smell and the abundant sea life, the Great Lakes support
Loving and Saving the Great Lakes Read More 👉
We announced an opportunity to win two great books, Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth and Water Matters: Why We Need to Act Now to Save Our Most Critical Resource one month ago today. A number of dedicated greenies and interested people entered the contest and commented on the article telling us
Hot and Water Matters Giveaway Winners Chosen Read More 👉
More updates on this story: Updates on Chevron-Ecuador Controversy (posting on February 17, 7:00am EST) If you’re just tuning in, Chevron and a previously independent company it now owns (Texaco, which it bought in 2001) have been using and abusing Ecuador for about half a century. They dumped billions upon billions of of gallons of
Chevron Found Guilty! But Still Trying to Avoid its Responsibility Read More 👉
More updates on this story: Updates on Chevron-Ecuador Controversy (posting on February 17, 7:00am EST) If you’re just tuning in, Chevron and a previously independent company it now owns (Texaco, which it bought in 2001) have been using and abusing Ecuador for about half a century. They dumped billions upon billions of of gallons of
Chevron Found Guilty! But Still Trying to Avoid its Responsibility Read More 👉
The best things in life are free. This doesn’t only apply to open source applications on the web but other aspects of life as well. You may be surprised, but one of the best things you can do for yourself and mother nature is take cold showers on a daily basis. Sound crazy? Yes, it
Take Cold Showers (Going Green Tip #13) Read More 👉
New research has shown that large dams have the ability to affect the local climate, to the point of drastically altering the local rainfall in some regions. This marks the first time that researchers have found a clear difference had on the surrounding environment by large reservoirs compared to natural lakes and wetlands. The study
Large Dams Can Affect Local Climate Read More 👉
While our country’s leaders ‘try to tackle’ the world’s biggest problems, they contribute to a number of them, too. For example, Corporate Accountability International reports that the House of Representatives spent $860,000 in one year alone on bottled water (almost $2,000 per House member), despite the availability of cheaper, greener options. That money could have
Truly, how can anyone deem this fair or humane. As Bushmen are not allowed to access water in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, and are appealing for this right, the Botswana government has just approved a $3 billion diamond mine there. Sound fair to you? Here’s a response by anonymous Kalahari Bushmen: Why does the
While Bushmen Not Allowed to Access Water, Botswana Approves $3 Billion Mine Read More 👉
“Gasland,” which won a special jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival, has also been nominated for an Oscar now, for Best Documentary. The filmmakers delve into the increasingly infamous and environmentally damaging process of hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking). The chemicals used in fracking (they are pumped into the ground with water to get the
Oscar Nomination for Anti-Fracking Film “Gasland” [VIDEO] Read More 👉
In what appears to be a major, positive stride for environmental quality preservation, congressional investigators submitted a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency charging that hydraulic fracturing — known as ‘fracking’ — violates the Safe Drinking Water Act. Amassing data from a dozen states for the period 2005 – 2009, investigators assert that tens of
'Fracking' Violates Safe Drinking Water Act, Congressional Letter Charges Read More 👉
In addition to the letter to Obama to protect the Clean Air Act, a number of leading environmental organizations wrote to Obama before his 2011 State of the Union address to encourage him to do something about environmentally harmful oil and natural gas drilling. While the speech has already been given, I thought it was
Protect Public from Gas Drilling Risks (Letter to Obama) Read More 👉
It’s been awhile since we did a book giveaway, but I recently got two great offers and I’m happy to announce the opportunity for you to win either of these great books. First, a quick look at the books: Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth This book, just released on Wednesday, looks
Win a New Book! (Hot or Water Matters) Read More 👉
Drinking recycled water has never been an environmentally friendly solution that many have looked upon with relish; where the water has been is almost always enough of a detractor for the majority of those surveyed. Nevertheless, the Australian Government National Water Commission has funded a study conducted by researchers at Australia’s CSIRO Land and Water
Recycled Drinking Water Read More 👉
74% of recyclable water bottles end up clogging landfills, polluting the oceans, or littering our natural environments. Well, from what I’ve heard, one company is unveiling the world’s first biodegradable and recyclable water bottle in January to help address this issue. Canada-based redleaf Water will be introducing these “Bio Bottles” in Canada and some stores
World's First Biodegradable Water Bottle? Read More 👉
(Yet another environmental toxin in unacceptably high concentrations….) An analysis of 35 U.S. cities’ tap water has found that 31 one of these water sources contain exceedingly high levels of hexavalent chromium, a known carcinogen.The study is the first of its kind ever to be released to the public and comes, fortuitously, as the EPA
High Carcinogenic Chromium Levels Found in Many Cities' Tap Water Read More 👉
In an amazing sustainability quadruple play, researchers at the University of Colorado Denver are working on a fuel cell that can desalinate water, treat wastewater and generate electricity in a single process, while producing hydrogen gas that is re-used to make the treatment process run efficiently. What’s amazing about it is that the operation is run by
Water Treatment, Water Desalination, and Electricity Generation All-in-One Read More 👉
A recent article in NZ Herald News discusses the looming food crisis and how it might become the world’s biggest problem in the decades to come. “If the world doesn’t act now, it faces a catastrophic global food shortage by mid-century,” Greg Ansley writes. Ansely cites numerous recent studies concerning the degradation of our oceans
World’s Biggest Looming Problem a Food Crisis? Read More 👉
Water will become the most contentious and increasingly scarce resource. 3D modeling technology can help manage our most vital resource. This past summer the United Nations issued a declaration proclaiming access to clean water and sanitation as a fundamental human right. The declaration further advised that UN member states provide both financial and technological assistance for developing
Visualizing Sustainable Water Resource Management Read More 👉
The Australian state of Victoria is looking into following its neighbours into implementing cloud seeding to help refill its dams, which currently average around fifty-percent full. Cloud seeding is a geoengineering project which injects particles into super-cold water laden clouds, thereby increasing the rain- and snow-falls. Dr Steven Siems, a scientist with Monash University, is
Victorian Government Investigating Cloud Seeding Read More 👉
This is a special guest post from the Earth Policy Institute (subheadings and photo above added). Enjoy. Lester R. Brown U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt once noted that “civilized people ought to know how to dispose of the sewage in some other way than putting it into the drinking water.” The one-time use of water to
Reducing Urban Water Use Read More 👉
Water hyacinth is an extremely devastating invasive species in Kenya, choking the largest body of fresh water in Africa, Lake Victoria, but some proactive, inventive folks in the region have found ways to turn this destructive water weed into a useful resource. Via Danielle Nierenberg of our sister site EatDrinkBetter: “Water hyacinth is actually a
Invasive Species Turned Economic Opportunity in Kenya Read More 👉
Water availability is going to one of the biggest issues of the coming centuries, in my humble opinion. Due to global weirding, unsustainable agriculture practices, and a growing population. Reportedly, Yemen’s capital city, Sana’a, will be one of the first cities to run out of water. Here are a few quotes from a recent article
Sana'a 1st City to be Out of Water? Read More 👉
The Aristotle Onassis Public Benefit Foundation announced on Friday that Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) was awarded its inaugural “Prize for the Protection of the Environment.” Along with the honor of winning this prize, the organization will receive €250,000 ($351,675) to continue its work in this region. FoEME has been putting in considerable work and
Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) Wins Big Award Read More 👉
I recently got tipped off to a great website and project, the GE ecomagination photo project. The simple deal with this project is, as a friend wrote to me, “for every photo uploaded to flickr, a donation will be made to communities in need of clean water, solar light, and wind turbine powered electricity.” Sounds
Ecomagination Photo Project Read More 👉
We have covered threats and the start of massive global droughts on Planetsave a couple times recently. It is a major concern in our weirding world. Joe Romm of Climate Progress, covering a new study by the National Center for Atmospheric Research in depth, has a lot more on this topic. Here’s the intro: Extended drought
By the 2030’s, more and more regions across our planet will be entering drought conditions, according to a recently published study by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) at the University of Colorado, Boulder. This dryness trend, which encompasses much of the temperate and tropical Western Hemisphere along with large areas of Eurasia and
Global Drought Predicted by Century's End – "Unprecedented Consequences" Read More 👉
This guest post is the first of two guest posts from David P. Tusa, CEO and President of Sharps Compliance Corp.(Nasdaq: SMED), a leading full-service provider of cost-effective management solutions for medical waste and unused dispensed medications generated outside the healthcare facility setting. Prescription pharmaceuticals can improve our health and quality of life. But often people
Do You Take Drugs – In Your Drinking Water? Read More 👉
This post is part of 2010’s Blog Action Day, where bloggers across the Internet pull together to raise awareness about one important issue. This year’s theme is water. With today being blog action day, I am reminded of this post I wrote in tears a year ago, in hopes to help save lives by donating
Blog Action Day Reminds Us — "Water is Life" Read More 👉
This post is part of our participation in Blog Action Day 2010, which is on the topic of Water. As R. Buckminster Fuller reminded us, we are all traveling aboard “spaceship Earth”…all 6+ billion of us. What makes our spaceship so unique (as far as we know), and vital, is the presence of a great deal
Our Water Planet – How Much Do You Know? Read More 👉
Like a patch of desert that has had all the moisture absorbed from its surface, large parts of the world are similarly drying up, releasing less moisture than ever before, or none at all. Evapotranspiration is the movement of water from the land to the atmosphere. Most climate models predicted that this phenomenon would increase
Large Swaths of the World are Drying Up Read More 👉
In a first-ever “world-wide synthesis”, an international team of scientists has analyzed data on 23 “drivers of environmental stress” that impact the health and quality of the world’s major rivers. The findings: 65% of the world’s riverine ecosystems are “moderately to highly threatened”. The team’s assessment is the first to “jointly consider human and biodiversity
River Ruin – 80% of World's People Face Water Insecurity Read More 👉
About a month ago, Heather Carr on our sister site Eat.Drink…Better wrote a post on a new water footprint calculator out by National Geographic. This is a cool tool and something I thought I’d share here on Planetsave (about a month later than I originally intended). Heather’s intro highlighted some interesting facts: The average American
Water Footprint Calculator Read More 👉
Over the past fifty years the amount of water that has been pumped out of the subterranean reservoirs that sustain many billions of people has more than doubled, according to a new global assessment of groundwater use. People are drawing so much water from underground that they are adding enough of it to the oceans
Groundwater Disappearing at Accelerating Rate Read More 👉
University of Guelph scientists have created a transgenic pig — the Enviropig — which better digests phosphorus compounds. This development came in response to concerns of negative environmental impacts from animal manure run-off causing algal blooms in waterways, and consequently killing fish and other aquatic creatures.
Meet 'Enviropig' – A Cleaner, Greener Transgenic Pig Read More 👉
Between 2006 and 2007, the Southern Nevada Water Authority in Las Vegas screened tap water from 19 US water utilities for 51 different compounds. The 11 most frequently detected compounds are highlighted in the cartoon and described below. 1.used to treat cardiovascular disease, 2.an herbicide banned in the European Union (still used in the US)
Water: Nature’s Wonderdrug–Now with Wonderdrugs! (cartoon) Read More 👉
The global warming news I have to share this week transitions from the floods and fires we discussed last week to the issue of food and water (including how they are affected by floods and fires) and other effects of global climate change you may not be thrilled to hear about. Additionally, I have a
Global Warming News of the Week — Focus on Food & Water Read More 👉
Engineers at MIT–lead by Jongyoon Han–have developed a promising nano-tech system for separating charged salt ions from water, and which also separates out unicellular contaminants. But more challenges remain.
New Nano-tech Device Takes Salt Out of Sea Water Read More 👉
Phytoplankton–tiny, marine plants that formthe basis of our oceans’ food chain–absorb and sequester large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere and generate half of the world’s oxygen supply. Given such an important ecosystem service as this, one would hope that our oceans’ algae numbers stay high…but, the results of a three year data analysis are anything but encouraging.
World's Marine Plankton in Peril – 40% Decline Since 1950 Read More 👉
A new text service provided by the USGS offers real-time updates on water conditions and quality in over 9000 rivers and streams (and more) across the country.
Text Me A River – Real-Time Water Alerts Read More 👉
Seeking out the most efficient and sustainable solutions to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster has been a challenge. Bacteria is one such solution that can help clean the nightmare that is the Deepwater Horizon spill. “Natural microbes present in every ocean are superb cleaners, and with the addition of a bit of fertilizer
Possible Gulf Oil Solutions : Will Bacteria Help Clean the Deepwater Horizon Spill? Read More 👉
Researchers Overpeck and Udall cite a litany of troubling trends to support their prediction: “soaring temperatures, declining late-season snow pack, northward-shifted winter storm tracks, increasing precipitation intensity (note: not total rainfall), the worst drought since measurements began, steep declines in Colorado River reservoir storage, widespread vegetation mortality, and sharp increases in the frequency of large wildfires.”
Dry Times for Western North America, Climate Trends Forecast Read More 👉